Social - Emotional Learning : RULER
This year Highland School will begin to implement the RULER program developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. (Some students may have piloted aspects of this program in grade 2.) We will begin the year using two of the 4 Anchor Tools - the Mood Meter and the Charter.
The Mood MeterEach color represents a level of contentment and energy, with many specific emotions within it. Students will learn how to label their emotions and monitor how their emotions change throughout the day. They develop the self-awareness they need to inform their choices. Students learn to expand their emotional vocabulary, replacing basic feeling words with more sophisticated terms. They graduate from using words like ‘ok’ or ‘fine’ to using words like ‘alienated’ and ‘hopeless,’ or ‘tranquil’ and ‘serene.’ We will also be discussing specific strategies to help students move from one color to another and replace negative emotions with more productive feelings.
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The Charter
To maintain a positive emotional climate and community in our classroom we will create a Class Charter. We will begin by brainstorming how members of our community would like to feel in our classroom and how we aspire to treat one another. By working together to build the Charter, everyone establishes common goals and holds each other accountable for creating a positive classroom.
The Zen Zone
Our classroom will also have a Zen Zone to assist students in managing their emotions and make appropriate choices this year. The Zen Zone is available when students need a break to refocus, calm down, or reflect on their behavior.
Focus on Mindfulness
This year we are focusing more than ever on developing mindfulness strategies among our students. We have been practicing and using the following strategies in our classroom so far this year: